Volleyball: Mountaineers Fall in Five
August 26, 2011 10:57 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The West Virginia volleyball team ended day one of the WVU Volleyball Mountaineer Invitational with a 3-2 (16-25, 25-21, 25-19, 24-26, 12-15) loss to Valparaiso tonight at the WVU Coliseum.
West Virginia (1-1) lost the first set and battled back to take the next two, but the Mountaineers could not over power the Crusaders’ (1-1) strong offense and effective serving.
“I thought tonight was a good test for us,” Kramer says. “I think we learned a lot about our team. We learned things we need to improve on and at this time of year; everyone is trying to figure out the continuity with their lineup and what they are going to do. We are feeling that out and seeing what works and we tried a lot of new things and that’s what preseason is for.”
After a kill by senior outside hitter Michelle Kopecky at 6-9, the Crusaders went on a 8-1 run in the first set before the Mountaineers closed the gap with four straight kills from senior outside hitter Kylie Armbruster and freshman outside hitter Halle Kearney. Valparaiso took advantage of the four service errors and lack of offense to take the set 16-25.
Down a set, the Mountaineers battled back and forth during the second set until a kill by Armbruster at 12-11 built the momentum to gain a 20-15 advantage. The Crusaders staged a comeback, but the Mountaineers stalled their efforts, ending the set on two Valparaiso hitting errors.
With a win under their belt, the Mountaineers stormed out to a 13-7 advantage to start the third set. At 19-13, Valparaiso called a time out and proceeded to go on a 5-0 run before kills from Armbruster and Kearney shut down their momentum and the Crusaders once again ended the set with three hitting errors in a row.
The Crusaders came back to take a 7-2 advantage at the start of set four before West Virginia used three kills from Kopecky and Kearney and two service aces by senior setter Kari Post to take the lead 12-10. The teams then fought back and forth until two costly hitting errors and strong defense by Valparaiso pushed the match into a deciding fifth set.
Down 12-7 in the final set, the Mountaineers used kills by Armbruster and Kearney and two service aces from senior libero Serinna Russo to close the gap 12-11. Even with the strong effort, West Virginia could not overcome Valparaiso’s strong offense and lost the set 15-12.
Kearney led the Mountaineers with 22 kills and a .311 hitting percentage. Armbruster and Post each had a double-double with 16 kills and 16 digs, and 44 assists and 19 digs, respectively.
The Mountaineers return to action tomorrow at the invitational at 7:30 p.m. to take on No. 21 Ohio State. The match is also a designated “Dollar Day” with all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Cola products available for one dollar.
West Virginia (1-1) lost the first set and battled back to take the next two, but the Mountaineers could not over power the Crusaders’ (1-1) strong offense and effective serving.
“I thought tonight was a good test for us,” Kramer says. “I think we learned a lot about our team. We learned things we need to improve on and at this time of year; everyone is trying to figure out the continuity with their lineup and what they are going to do. We are feeling that out and seeing what works and we tried a lot of new things and that’s what preseason is for.”
After a kill by senior outside hitter Michelle Kopecky at 6-9, the Crusaders went on a 8-1 run in the first set before the Mountaineers closed the gap with four straight kills from senior outside hitter Kylie Armbruster and freshman outside hitter Halle Kearney. Valparaiso took advantage of the four service errors and lack of offense to take the set 16-25.
Down a set, the Mountaineers battled back and forth during the second set until a kill by Armbruster at 12-11 built the momentum to gain a 20-15 advantage. The Crusaders staged a comeback, but the Mountaineers stalled their efforts, ending the set on two Valparaiso hitting errors.
With a win under their belt, the Mountaineers stormed out to a 13-7 advantage to start the third set. At 19-13, Valparaiso called a time out and proceeded to go on a 5-0 run before kills from Armbruster and Kearney shut down their momentum and the Crusaders once again ended the set with three hitting errors in a row.
The Crusaders came back to take a 7-2 advantage at the start of set four before West Virginia used three kills from Kopecky and Kearney and two service aces by senior setter Kari Post to take the lead 12-10. The teams then fought back and forth until two costly hitting errors and strong defense by Valparaiso pushed the match into a deciding fifth set.
Down 12-7 in the final set, the Mountaineers used kills by Armbruster and Kearney and two service aces from senior libero Serinna Russo to close the gap 12-11. Even with the strong effort, West Virginia could not overcome Valparaiso’s strong offense and lost the set 15-12.
Kearney led the Mountaineers with 22 kills and a .311 hitting percentage. Armbruster and Post each had a double-double with 16 kills and 16 digs, and 44 assists and 19 digs, respectively.
The Mountaineers return to action tomorrow at the invitational at 7:30 p.m. to take on No. 21 Ohio State. The match is also a designated “Dollar Day” with all tickets, hot dogs, popcorn and Coca-Cola products available for one dollar.
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